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Sep 14, 2018

Super typhoon Mangkhut makes landfall in the Philippines

Monster Typhoon Mangkhut has made landfall
in the northeastern tip of the Philippines, affecting at least five
million people along its path.
Mangkhut, also known as Ompong in the Philippines, made landfall at
around 17:40 GMT on Friday (1:40am Saturday, local time), according to
the Philippine weather bureau, PAGASA.

It retained its ferocious strength on Friday, but gained speed while
shifting towards a number of densely populated provinces, where a large
evacuation was carried out earlier in the day.

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In a press briefing at 18:00 GMT, PAGASA's senior weather specialist,
Chris Perez warned that in coastal areas in the northernmost tip of the
main island, Luzon, the storm surge could be between three to six metres
high.

The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center categorised Mangkhunt as a
super typhoon with powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category-5
Atlantic hurricane.

In comparison, Hurricane Florence, which is currently lashing the US East Coast, is classified as category 1 storm.

It is packing winds of up to 205 kilometre an hour and gusts up to
255km/h, PAGASA said. But the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center
said maximum winds could reach 268km/h and wind gusts of up to about
324km/h.

The storm is estimated to be 900km in diametre covering the entire
northern and central parts of the main island of Luzon. Combined with
seasonal monsoon rains, it could bring heavy to intense rains that could
set off landslides and flash floods.

Mangkhut is also moving at a faster pace from 25km/h to 30km/h, according to the local weather agency.

As of 15:30 GMT on Friday, the Philippines has raised the highest alert
level in the northern provinces of Abra, Apayao, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte,
Kalinga, the northern part of Isabel and the Babuyan group of islands.
Those areas have a combined population of at least 3.7 million. But
other neighbouring provinces are also expected to be affected, bringing
that number to over five million.

Mangkhut has already blasted through the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

Even if the typhoon weakens after slamming ashore, the gusts will remain
destructive, government forecaster Rene Paciente warned.

"It can lift cars. You can't stand, you can't even crawl against that
wind," Paciente said at a news conference in the capital, Manila.

More than 15,000 people were evacuated in the northern provinces by
Friday afternoon, the Office of Civil Defence was quoted by the
Associated Press as saying. But the country's disaster management office
said more than 30,000 have been evacuated.

Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan, reporting from Cagayan province, said at
least 100 families, mostly from fishing and farming villages, have taken
shelter in a school.

Maria Soledad Sapp, a local disaster management official, said residents
are more aware now of the dangers associated with typhoons.
Thousands of residents from low-lying areas in the northern Philippines have evacuated [AP]

Mangkhut is the 15th storm to batter the Philippines this year. An average of 20 typhoons hit the country each year.
'Substantial damage'

Authorities are taking extra precautions as they draw comparisons with
Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated central areas of the archipelago in
2013, and killed 6,300 people.

"My appeal is that we need to heed the advice of the authorities. Stay
indoors," said presidential adviser Francis Tolentino, the government's
main coordinator for disaster response.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it expects "substantial damage" in the Philippines.

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Authorities readied bulldozers for landslides and placed rescuers and soldiers on full alert in the country's north.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he would consider
seeking assistance from the international community over Typhoon
Mangkhut if it "flattens everything".

Speaking at a news conference, Duterte said there is no need yet to seek
foreign aid, and it would "depend on the severity of the crisis".

Hong Kong and other parts of south China as well as Vietnam are also in
Mangkhut's sights and at risk of being hit during the weekend.

Social media users and radio commentators in Hong Kong said they were
stocking up on food and supplies. The Hong Kong Observatory warned
residents to prepare for the typhoon saying it posed a "considerable
threat".